The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act exemplifies the very best in law-making. Locally born and raised, the measure grew from the shared values that stakeholders deemed worthy of protection and our congressional delegation carried to Washington, D.C. After more than two years since the bill was introduced in Congress, the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act is now on its way to President Obama for his signature. It is cause for significant celebration.
On Friday, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act, the legislative vehicle to which the Hermosa Creek bill was attached in a package of public lands protection measures – as well as bills that raised concern among some environmentalists. It was hardly an ideal means of passing the bill, but the result is wholly positive for the Hermosa Creek Watershed and Southwest Colorado.
The measure protects nearly 108,000 acres north of Durango, extending into San Juan County. It includes about 38,000 acres of wilderness on the western side of the watershed, as well as a special management area that is protected from any future road-building or development but allows mountain biking and off-road vehicle use in some areas. The watershed provides critical wildlife habitat, exceptional backcountry hunting and angling opportunities and is absolutely beautiful. That it will now be protected in perpetuity is a great gift for the community and for all who visit here.
The measure extends beyond the watershed, though. It contains language that prevents any mineral development in other iconic local landscapes including Perins Peak, Animas City Mountain and Horse Gulch. As well, the bill settles the long-simmering debate about snowmobiling on Molas Pass, ensuring that the area will be available for the popular winter use. These and all the provisions in the measure resulted from careful consensus-building among local stakeholders, land mangers and lawmakers at the local and national levels. The process was thorough, lengthy and iterative.
The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act represents a rare legislative achievement in Congress far better known for its gridlock than its productivity. This exception is owed to the bipartisan support the measure enjoyed. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, carried the bill in the House of Representatives, and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver, sponsored it in the Senate; Sen. Mark Udall was a co-sponsor. Tipton and Bennet pushed hard for their respective bills, overcoming several political and procedural hurdles that could have killed a measure less prepared for enactment. Both men invested significant time and political capital advancing the Hermosa Creek bill and ensuring that the final version matched the vision that conceived the measure. Bennet and Tipton have represented their constituents exceedingly well with this bill.
The many stakeholders who participated in crafting the bill, beginning in 2008 with the Hermosa Creek River Protection Workgroup, and worked steadily to shepherd it to Friday’s long-anticipated outcome deserve similar praise for their dedication to this vision. Conservationists, water interests, agriculturalists, hunters, anglers, equestrians, U.S. Forest Service staff, wildlife professionals, city councilors, county commissioners, business owners and unaffiliated citizens who happen to love the Hermosa Creek Watershed dedicated countless hours to seeing the area protected. That it should happen in so politically divisive a climate as Congress is testament to the measure’s sound premise. The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act’s passage is a major victory for Southwest Colorado.
